April 3 - Marlon Brando

Happy Birthday, Marlon Brando! Born today in 1924 as Marlon Brando Jr., this American actor and film director had a career spanning over six decades. During this time, he won the Oscar for Best Actor twice. He is well-regarded for his cultural influence on 20th-century film. 

  

As an actor in the 1950s, Brando is best known for starring in the 1951 American black and white drama film 'A Streetcar Named Desire', the 1954 American black and white crime/drama film 'On the Waterfront' and the 1955 American Eastmancolor musical comedy film 'Guys and Dolls'. 

  

As a filmmaker, Brando is best known for starring in and directing the 1961 American Technicolor Western/action film 'One-Eyed Jacks'. 

Based off of American-Ukrainian author Charles Neider's 1956 Western fiction novel The Authentic Death of Hendry Jones, Brando plays outlaw Rio (also called "The Kid"). 

  

Uncredited co-writers of the screenplay were Rod Serling and American film director and screenwriter of the Western epic Sam Peckinpah. 'One-Eyed Jacks' was Brando's first and only directorial feature. 

  

In the 1970s, Brando starred in his most iconic roles. These included Don Vito Corleone in the 1972 American crime film 'The Godfather'. 

Since its release, 'The Godfather' has been widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential films ever made, especially in the gangster genre. 

Later that same year, he played middle-aged hotel owner Paul in the 1972 French/Italian erotic drama/romance film 'Ultimo tango a Parigi' ('Last Tango in Paris') and as Colonel Walter E. Kurtz in the 1979 American epic war/drama film 'Apocalypse Now'. 

  

For the former, Brando sent Apache actress and activist for Native American rights Sacheen Littlefeather to represent him at the 45th Academy Awards to refuse the Oscar for Best Actor for his performance in 'The Godfather'.  

  

The favorite to win, Brando had boycotted the ceremony in protest of Hollywood's portrayal of Native Americans and to draw attention to the standoff at Wounded Knee. This occurred on March 27, 1973.

In 1990, 'The Godfather' was selected for preservation in the U.S. National Film Registry of the Library of Congress, being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" and is ranked the second-greatest film in American cinema (behind 'Citizen Kane') by the American Film Institute. 

In 1990,the film was followed by sequels. these were the 1974 American epic crime/drama filmThe Godfather Part II and the 1990 American crime film 'The Godfather Part III'.The former won Best Picture at the 47th Academy Awards in early April 1975.  

Brando was ranked by the American Film Institute as the fourth-greatest movie star among male movie stars whose screen debuts occurred in or before 1950. 

Brando was one of only six actors named in 1999 by Time magazine in its list of the 100 Most Important People of the Century. In this list, Time also designated Brando as the "Actor of the Century". 

  

Brando had been active from 1944–2004. 

  

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